Pink sauce is a type of pasta sauce that combines seasoned tomatoes and cream to give it a pinkish color (sometimes also referred to as blush or rosé sauce). We love how pink sauce provides the tangy flavor of tomatoes, found in a typical marinara, along with a rich, creamy texture of an alfredo. A classic pink sauce may appear to be like vodka sauce; however, it is a family-friendly pasta sauce that can please almost anyone. It tastes good with virtually any pasta dish and is vegetarian-friendly. Today, we wanted to share our top pink sauce recipes so that you can learn how to start making them from scratch.
1. Pink Sauce (Tomato-Cream Sauce)
You can make this sauce in about 20 minutes, and all it takes is a saucepan, a wooden spoon, and some love to make it taste delicious. Honestly, this is a foolproof recipe if we’ve ever seen one. First, sauté some shallots (or onion) in olive oil. Next, add a can of Italian-style diced tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper, and some sugar and let it come to a boil. Allow the sauce to boil until most of the liquid evaporates. Take the pan off the heat and add the cream. Put it back on the heat and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes, and serve it warm with your favorite pasta. It goes well with penne, ravioli, and pappardelle noodles.
Even if you’re not the best at cooking, this recipe is relatively quick and easy to make. It tastes best fresh but can be refrigerated for a few days while still retaining its flavor.
Get the full recipe and directions from here.
2. Pink Sauce Spaghetti
This recipe has a thicker consistency since it uses tomato passata (tomato puree) instead of diced tomatoes. Start with half of one chopped onion and three cloves of minced garlic. Instead of olive oil, the author says to sauté these in butter for a couple of minutes. Mix in parmesan cheese, milk, heavy cream, tomato puree, basil, salt, and pepper, and stir until the cheese has melted. There is one other ingredient that they call for which may surprise you. You will add a teaspoon of chicken or vegetable stock powder to the sauce as well. Alternatively, crumble one bouillon cube if you don’t have that kind of powder in your pantry.
Be sure to drain the pasta 2 minutes early since it will cook the rest of the way in the saucepan. If the sauce doesn’t seem to be sticking to your noodles, a tip is to add some reserved pasta cooking water and stir to combine. Top with parmesan cheese and some chopped parsley and dig into this mouthwatering meal.
Get the full recipe and directions from Recipe Tin Eats.
3. Farfalle Pasta with Light Creamy Mushroom Rosé Sauce
If you’re searching for a lighter version of a traditional pink sauce, you’ve come to the right place. This author uses half and half instead of heavy cream for the cream component of the sauce, making it less fatty and rich than the previous recipes. The recipe title may sound confusing, but there is no rosé wine used here.
For an added depth of flavor, you will be sautéing cremini mushrooms in the pan along with your usual chopped onions and minced garlic. The recipe calls for farfalle noodles, but you don’t have to use those if you don’t have any on hand. Essentially all pasta varieties will pair with the sauce perfectly fine.
To make sure everything is ready at the same time, the author recommends putting hot water in a pot on high heat first and then cooking your pasta simultaneously while stirring the sauce.
Get the full recipe and directions from Ahead of Thyme.
4. Giada’s Cheese Ravioletti in Pink Sauce
Who doesn’t love Giada De Laurentiis? She shares some of the best Italian recipes on Food Network. If you only have half an hour to prepare dinner, get ready to enjoy her vegetarian-friendly ravioletti dish. One particular ingredient you will need is some dry white wine. She shares a tip saying that the heavy cream should come to room temperature before adding it to the pan.
Giada uses shallots instead of onions for the base, which gives the sauce a sweeter flavor overall. If you hate mincing garlic, all you have to do for this pink sauce is peel and smash the garlic. Use a wooden spoon to make the garlic break down even more in the pan. She tops the ravioletti dish with freshly chopped basil and freshly grated parmesan to give it a nice touch right before serving.
You can find ravioletti in either the frozen or refrigerated section of many grocery stores. Cook them two minutes less than the package directions to avoid overcooking them in the sauce.
Get the full recipe and directions from Food Network.
5. Rigatoni in a Roasted Garlic Rosé Sauce
his 7-ingredient dish is enough for four servings, making it perfect for a small family. First, drizzle olive oil on a head of garlic. Wrap it in tin foil and let it bake for about 30 minutes at 450 degrees Fahrenheit. This method will make the garlic cloves soft enough to squeeze out, eliminating the need to peel your garlic. Meanwhile, start heating a pot of water and cook your noodles once the water is boiling.
To make the sauce, take out a large saucepan and add the roasted garlic with some cream. Cook on medium-high heat until it reaches boiling point and quickly set it to medium-low heat to simmer. Once your mixture has thickened, whisk in the tomato passata and salt and let the sauce continue cooking for 5 minutes. Add your cooked pasta and freshly chopped basil to the pan, and you are ready for a delicious weeknight dinner.
Get the full recipe and directions from Today’s Parent.
6. Baked Pasta in Pink Sauce with Italian Sausage
We love Italian sausage, so this hearty meal sounded terrific from the start. Busy moms will be happy to hear that this recipe can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge or frozen in a casserole dish. If you decide to freeze it, be sure to cover the top with plastic wrap and tin foil. It will keep for up to 3 months like this in the freezer. Remember to thaw it overnight in the fridge before cooking the baked pasta.
The pink sauce is a cinch since it consists of jarred spaghetti sauce and heavy cream. You will be adding ricotta cheese, a shredded Italian cheese blend, and mozzarella pearls to this casserole. The author uses small shell pasta in this recipe, but even penne, ziti, rigatoni, or elbow macaroni are excellent alternatives. Don’t stress if you don’t have Italian sausage. Substitute it with ground beef, breakfast sausage, or ground turkey instead; any of these meats will taste good. Combine your ingredients and pour them into a 9 X 13 ceramic baking dish. Finally, bake it at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes and allow it to cool before serving.
Get the full recipe and directions from Plain Chicken.
7. Korean Rosé Pasta with Shrimp
Lastly, try this dish for an easy 15-minute meal. You can use either spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine noodles in this recipe. The author uses cream, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce to create the pink sauce. You will also add dried red chilis along with garlic and onion to give the sauce an extra burst of flavor and heat.
If you have frozen shrimp, thaw them in advance, pat them dry, and season with salt and pepper before cooking them. This shrimp pasta dish is a fantastic home-cooked meal that will make any seafood and pasta lover salivate.
Get the full recipe and directions from Cookerru.
Pink sauce pasta has a perfect balance of flavors to satisfy both alfredo and marinara lovers. We hope you enjoy trying new things to see what you can do with pasta.
If you like this post, we think you’ll really like our Red Velvet Pasta Recipes post.
